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Almas Cingur confirms his retirement late this season
By Pia Chamberlain
Published: Nueva, 1600


Almas Cingur will be likely remembered as one of the greatest climbers in recent cycling history.


Ayduramazan, Kyrzbekistan - Kyrzbekistani climber Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) has announced his retirement from professional cycling after the Tour of Kyrzbekistan, late this season.

The 37-year old Kyrzbekistani climber has been one of the most successful riders of his generation, is considered the greatest Kyrzbekistani rider in cycling history, and became the second Kyrzbekistani rider to win the Tour de Valland (1595), after Gjöke Kelmend, who won in 1571.

Besides his 1595 victory in the Tour de Valland, Cingur also won twice the Ceribian Tour (1591, 1592), finishing nine times in a Grand Tour podium between 1591 and 1595. He found in Adwestene Eden Grace Weatherhead one of the main rivalries of the last decades, finishing four times runner between 1592 and 1595, and defeating Weatherhead in 1594. He also won the Tour de Valland Mountain classification twice, and won individual stages as well.

Besides his success in the Tour de Valland and the Ceribian Tour, he also won another Global Tour races, such as the Tour of Keszaria (1589), the Mordvanian Week (1592), the Criterium de Ventmont (1592, 1596), Videjszeme Classic (1592), Tour of Nentsia (1594), or the Tour of Kyrzbekistan (1595).

Unlike other Kyrzbekistani riders in the past, Almas Cingur rode his whole career in the same team, KyrzAir, a Kyrzbekistani cycling team currently sponsored by Kyrzbekistan's state-owned airline. In the last seasons, Cingur focused in fighting for individual stages in the Ceribian Tour and Tour de Valland while helping younger teammates such as Enver Dushku and Damir Zagipur in the general classification.

Cingur has declared that he hasn't decided about his future outside the peloton yet, but that he expects that he will continue being involved in cycling in a way or another.